The Arkansas Razorbacks (17-12, 6-10 SEC) have a chance to right the ship Tuesday evening when they face the Vanderbilt Commodores (20-9, 8-8 SEC) at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee.
Led by first-year head coach Mark Byington, the Commodores have won conference games over LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Vanderbilt is most recently coming off a win over Missouri at home, a place it owns a 14-2 record at this season.
Arkansas, which remains on the NCAA Tournament bubble after squandering what should've been a winnable game at South Carolina, has to finish the season strong to feel comfortable about its postseason position heading into the SEC Tournament.
According to ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi's latest pronosis, Arkansas is currently the second team in the "Last Four In" category — about as close a team can be to the razor's edge. Upsetting the Commodores on the road will go a long way in strengthening the Hogs' resume, but it won't be easy, especially if star forward Adou Thiero remains out while he recovers from a hyperextended knee.
Here's a closer comparison of Arkansas' and Vanderbilt's stats, efficiency ratings, projected lineup for the Commodores and more ahead of Tuesday's game, which is set to tip off at 9 p.m. CT on the SEC Network:
